How Erika Does...Fitness

I'm pretty sure I heard some of you hardcore girls squeal and throw up a fist bump while others let out a big ole sigh.

Let me tell you...I fall in the sigh type of category when I'm preparing my mind to workout BUT the second I go I'm throwing out all the fist bumps. I'm not someone who is super into it and gets a crazy high from working up a sweat. However, I do feel so much better about my self. I think it's great for not only my health but self-care as well.

{Please note what I was just typing...I kept trying to write "exercising" but I was misspelling it and ironically my computer wanted to change it to supersizing. Ironic, huh?}

Right now at this stage of life I strive to hit two workout classes at my gym a week. One class is weights and core work while the other is cardio {I stink at the cardio one. Like KICKS my tail every week}. They're one hour classes, the instructor really pushes us, and I leave feeling like I've just had a great workout.

The rest of the week I have to get creative. I have a wide variety of at-home workouts I add to the mix. My one problem with working out at home is I only want to be working out for thirty minutes. If it's taking longer than that, odds are I'm gonna shut off the video and walk away. That's the ugly truth, but I've found a variety of options that I love...

*Bikini Body Guide with Kayla Itsines-Someone recommended this to me a while back and it's one of my favorite ways to get to sweating at home. You have to purchase a membership and download the app, but then you have a ton of different workouts right at your finger tips. Most of these are super easy, can be done at home, and take twenty-eight minutes.

*YouTube Workout Videos-I have tried a ton of these over the years and you just can't go wrong. Some of my favorites are FitnessBlender, Blogilates, Pop Sugar Fitness, and Yoga with Adriene. I must say though-if the video goes through one entire routine and then tells us to rewatch the video to do two more sets, well that's never gonna happen. I don't like those types of videos and I skip the ones that have titles like, "Get AMAZING Arms in Five Minutes". That's not happening either. I try to stick to videos that are 25-35 mintues.

*Jillian Michaels-I downloaded a couple of her DVD's on my Amazon Prime account. Ripped in 30 is the first one I downloaded and I still go back and use this video. Most of her workouts are thirty minutes or less and they're tough. I'm sweating and feel like I was super productive.

*Pinterest Workouts-Often times I just find a Pinterest workout that I like. I just search "at home workout", "arm workout", "workout without weights"...search whatever you're feeling that day and follow the workout. These are super easy. They usually take less time than a video, but I remind myself it's way better than not doing anything. Right?

*Beachbody on Demand-You guys probably know someone who sells Beachbody or is using it? This company has been all over my social media, and I'd heard great things about their workouts. You can purchase access to the workouts only-which I did-and I'm loving the huge variety they have to offer.

When Tab and I were first married, Denise Austin came on the Lifetime Channel really early before I had to go to school. I remember working out many mornings with Denise. #randommemory

*Walk or Run Outside-When the weather is nice and Tab is taking care of the kiddos, this is a nice way to burn some calories. Adding a friend to the mix makes it even more fun.

I very RARELY go to the gym to do my own thing, because I end up looking like the guy pictured above.

Or I'm these guys just wasting time.

I want to add that it's not about a certain number of days I make it to the gym or get in enough workouts. I try my best to overall lead a healthy lifestyle. If I know I'm going to be working the majority of the day at my desk, then I need to get a workout in before or after. I want my kiddos to see a healthy mom, not someone who is obsessed with a certain number on the scale or size. I try my best to lead by example for my kiddos.

I shared about my fitness routine back in 2016 in this post. You should check it out. Lots of you had great comments!

Please tell us HOW YOU DO FITNESS! Do you go to the gym? Are you an at-home workout kind of girl? What do you do? If you have any workouts you highly recommend, please share with us!

If you're looking for a little motivation, be sure to check out some of my favorite workout gear. Have a great day and let's make sure we get our sweat on sometime today! XO

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30 comments

Denise Austin!! I think we all worked out with her at some point or another! And remember Bodies with Gilad? Was that his name?? Loved him. I have pretty much the same workout routine as you but just wanted to say ladies be careful with Jilian!! You will def see results, but her workouts are hard on your body. I injured myself twice on one of her more advanced series. I'm currently in love with boho beautiful yoga workouts on you tube. That girl is awesome!

YES! I used to work out with Denise Austin!!! I feel like she was on the beach a lot. Ha!Right now I do Beach Body stuff with my neighbor. BUT I HATE IT. Man, I wish I was one of those people who loved working out!

I love going to classes because of the encouragement. If I were to be doing that workout on my own, I would quit early on because of how hard it is. But with a class, I can't quit because no one else is haha! Classes are great motivators for me!Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

I love doing the Beach Body. They are quick and at home, so I don't have to embarrass myself at the gym. LOL! I go to the gym every once in a while to do a class. I also LOVE walking and running with my family whenever it is warm out.

I did the beach body stuff for awhile — now my favorite thing to do is try and hit three classes at the gym a week or get a workout in at home - my favorite at home is Piyo quick and tough workouts perfect for nap time! After having my son my workouts were non priority for two years this month I decided to get back into a consistent regimen and it’s working! I also years ago used to get the health channel and I can’t remember the guys name that lead beach workouts but gosh they were the best and I did them religiously every day !!

I do a mix of running, workout videos and hot yoga classes. I was always a girl who enjoyed working out at home, but recently fell in love with hot yoga. It has a spiritual aspect which I love and has been helping me deal with my grief since my mom passed away.

I'm a weirdo and love the gym- because I LOVE to listen to Podcasts when I work out (my reward). It seriously makes the time go so much faster. I love the elliptical for an hour. I also do yoga at home (Sarah Beth Yoga on You Tube ...LOVE LOVE) OR Yoga with Adrienne (You Tube) and Pop Sugar Fitness (You Tube). In the summer I walk 6 miles a day at the trail by my house (again..because I love to listen to Podcasts and I subscribe to a ton, so I need to listen to a lot daily). Try an audio book or Podcasts while you work out....life changing. It makes you WANT to go. Or I listen to Pandora and listen to great music.

I love what you said about being a great examples for your kids! These are great tips! If I can't make it to the gym and my day is super busy, I try to maybe walk a mile or two at a faster pace (to burn more calories). It takes 15-30 minutes, I don't have to drive anywhere and that is better than not doing anything! Working out & being healthy makes me a better wife, mom, friend and everything else that I am. :)

Thanks for all of your tips, I have a really good friend who is a coach for Beach Body on Demand and I feel so compelled to join the program but I have a gym at my office that I feel I need to learn how to use before I spend money on something else. I'll have to check out fitness blender, thanks Erika!!

I am a gym girl! Right now, I am only going twice a week, occasionally I make it three times. My favorite type of workout is almost anything group fitness: I go to a high impact dance class and yoga. In this season of my life, getting to the gym is hard but working out at home is nearly impossible for me. Last year, I had several injuries and health issues that kept me away from the gym for months and to my surprise I missed it!

I am in the midst of my last MBA semester and working full time plus other commitments, so I was on the hunt for at home workout too. Thanks to Kelly Stamps' blog, I started bTriabalFit, it's $12 a month and everything from arms/abs, AMRAP, HIIT, barre, yoga, circuits and more. Most are 30ish minutes of workout, couple go a little longer but it's mostly because she's introducing you to the exercise, etc.. I've LOVED it, she also works out w/ a bestie and chats with them, so you feel like you've got friends to work out with when it's 10:30 at night and you push "play", ha!! :)angiegillikin.com | IG: @angiegillikin

I'm finally trying to do something about my post-pregnancy tummy (and I have diastasis recti), so I recently started the MuTu System. It may be a bit pricey, but if it'll help me avoid surgery it's worth it. The best part for me is that it's very prescriptive about what to do each day so I don't have to think about it (there is a 10-min core video you do daily and then a 25-min intensive video you do three times a week). And because I'm super Type A and somewhat competitive, the fact that I have to check a box each time I do the workout is extra motivation for me. I want to check off all those boxes! I'm four weeks into it (it's a 12-week program) and loving it so far!

If you think BBG is super easy you're not giving yourself enough credit at working out. It's 28 minutes of pure hell for me. I love my hour long Zumba class and have been doing lots of running on the treadmill recently. I think the gym is so intimidating, but one day I'm gonna master all of the equipment! 😜

I am a huge fan of working out at home. It is just easier to fit it in at this stage of life (mom of a 2 and 3 year old). I LOVE Shelly Dose on youtube! She has amazing more bootcamp style workouts mostly using Tabata or HIIT methods. She is so positive and her workouts are never boring and always leave me sweating like crazy!

P31 Fitness at 5am 3 mornings each week. It's more than just a workout. We focus on the 4 parts of health...physical, mental, spiritual, emotional. Great devotional at the end of each workout. I'm too lazy to do a workout at home alone even though I own several videos and have tons of workouts pinned on Pinterest.

Love this post! I love working out and have tried too many programs to count! In 2017 I challenged myself to be active everyday for at least 30 minutes and I did it! That consisted of so many days at the gym, p90x3, T25, pinterest workouts and so much more but I did it - 365 days straight of working out! It was quite the journey and learned a ton about being disciplined. Now in 2018 I'm allowing myself one to two rest days a week. I'm participating in some fitness classes at my church at 5 am (it's like crossfit and camp gladiator), class on Tuesday night which is a strength training class and then on the other days I'll work out at home with my husband - currently to the p90x3 dvds. It's all about the motivation behind why you do what you do! You go girl!

I do BBG right now. I’m on my second round. I don’t think it’s easy though 😳 I love how quick they are because I have two Little’s and time is scarce. I also run with a running group twice a week and I love running with other mamas and lots of strollers!

I highly recommend Aaptiv. It's a great app that provides workouts for all kind of cardio equipment, outdoor running, weighted workouts, bodyweight workouts, stretching, yoga, core etc. All the trainers are very motivating and take you through everything step by step. The music selection is great and goes along with every workout. This is a great app to try if you are wanting to become more familiar with certain pieces of equipment because it walks you through all the steps including what settings to use on the machine. I believe you can try it free for one week.